Apparatus for manufacturing parenteral solutions



C. L. MURRISH March 7, 1961 APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PARENTERAL SOLUTIONS Filed Dec. 27, 1956 f/GLZ INVENTOR. CLARENCE L. MURR/SH A T TO 4. A MEMBER OF THE wa -t.

United States Patent 2,973,758 APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PARENTERAL'SOLUTIONS j Clarence L. Murrish, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Iuvenex Pharmaceuticals, a corporation of California .Filed Dec. 27,1956, Ser. No. 630,867

4 Claims. (Cl."128-- -272)' invention relates to a method and apparatus for the preparation of solutions and, more particularly relates to the preparation of solutions for parenteral administration.

In the past, it has been the practice to prepare solutions forinjection in a laboratory under sterile conditions, and to supply hospitals and the like with the completely prepared solution for injection. However, more recently, it has become the practice to employ an ever-increasing number of different substances for administration such as various salts, amino acids, antibiotics, and the like, and these are frequently prescribed in various concentrations. Thus, it has become almost impossible for a hospital to carry in stock pre-mixed solutions of all the substances which may be desired for injection. It has become the present practice to provide pre-packaged sterile liquids comprising a relatively few stock items, such as distilled water, normal saline solution, and glucose solution, and to provide in addition thereto small bottles of the various substances which are desired for administration in'concentrated form and to prepare the final solution for administration by mixing varying amounts of one or more of the concentrated solutions from the small bottles with the standard stock solutions which would normally be carried in administration bottles. In this manner, the inventory necessary for a hospital to carry is greatly reduced since it is only necessary to carry afew types of standard solutions for injection and a number of small bottles of concentrated solutions with a minimum of manipulation and under asceptic conditions.

In general, the object of the present invention is accomplished by providing a cap or cap-like article having two needles therethrough, whereby liquid in' a small bottle may be drawn into an administration bottle without coming into contact with the air.

In the drawings forming a part of this application:

Figure 1 is a side view of a large bottle, such as is commonly employed forparenteral administration, together with a small bottle of a concentrated solution and the device of the present invention, which is adapted to transfer the contents of the small bottle into the large bottle.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the device of the present invention in place,;transferring the contents of a small bottle into a large bottle.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modification wherein a series of guides are provided for guiding the small bottle into the proper position for transfer.

Figure 4 illustrates another modification of the invention wherein a sleeve is used as a guide and also wherein a we a cover is provided to keep the device of the present invention sterile.

Referring now to the drawing by reference characters, there is shown an administration bottle 5 having a band 7, and a bail 9. The bottle is normally provided' with'one or: more scales 11, for determining the contents of the bottle, and the bottle is filled to a level 13, which is substantially below the top of the bottle, and the space above the contents is evacuated. The bottle may also have an air inlet tube 15, which is normally sealed. The top of the bottle is closed by means of a rubber stopper 17, which is held in place by an annular band 19. The rubber stopper 17 ordinarily contains one or more openings which do not. go completely through the stopper, as all, and which 'are, in efiect, closed by a diaphragm 'so that'one or more needles can be easily inserted into thhe stopper. The exact method of closure varies with various manufacturers of the bot tles and is not here described in more detail since it forms no part of the present invention. Also illustrated is a small bottle 23, which is closed by means of a rubber stopper 25, which is held in place by the band 27. The bottle 23 is ordinarily provided with a scale 29, and is filled with a concentrated solution of a salt or other substance to be injected.

The device of the present invention is generally designated 31, and has a cap-like member 33 through which needles 35 and 37 are rigidly held in place. The needle 35 has two sharpened ends 39 and 41, which extend on each side of the cap-like member 33, so that the point 41 will penetrate the stopper 17 of the large bottle, while the point 39 is adapted to penetrate the stopper 25 of' the small bottle. Needle 37 has a single sharpened end 43, and the opposite end terminates flush with the cap, as at 45. In the embodiment shown, the needle points 39 and 43 lie on a common plant, although they may be of various lengths and the point 43 may be extended until it reaches substantially to the'bottom of the small bottle.

To use the device of the present invention, the needles 35 and 37 are first plunged through the stopper 25 of the small bottle, the small bottle is inverted and then the needle point 41 is inserted through the stopper 17 of the large bottle, the small bottle being inverted. Since the space above the liquid in the large bottle 5 is under vacuum, liquid will be drawn through the needle 35 from the small bottle into the large bottle and air will flow into the small bottle through the needle 37 to displace the liquid. The amount of liquid which is added from the small bottle may be measured by means of the scale 29, and when the desired amount has been transferred, the member 31 is lifted from the large bottle, whereupon the stopper 17 reseals itself so that an absolutely sterile transfer of liquid from one bottle to the other has been made.

Various variations of the present invention may be made. For instance, in Figure 3 an embodiment is shown wherein the cap member 33 is enlarged so that its inside surface is about equal in diameter to the diameter of the small bottle, and a plurality of upstanding guides 47 are provided which guide the small bottle into the needles accurately and thus facilitate the insertion of the device on a small bottle. In Figure 3 there is also shown a needle retainer 49, which is preferably made of a sterilizable plastic such as nylon, and such retainers may be slipped over the needles after the device has been sterilized to maintain the needles in a sterile condition.

Still another embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 4' wherein the walls of the cap-like member have been extended as at 51, to provide a skirt which serves as a guide for inserting the device into the small bottle. Preferably, the skirt is at least partially split, as at 53,

so that the small bottle may be inserted in such a manner that the graduations can be read through the slot. Also in Figure 4 is shown a two-part container 55 and 57', in whichithe device of the present invention may be inserted after it has been sterilized and thus its sterility may be maintained for an indefinite length of time after it is taken out of an autoclave. Preferably,'the sections 55 and 57 threadably engage each otheras at 59, to hold the two parts together in an air-tight manner. Preferably, the containeris made of a sterilizable plastic material.

I claim:

1. A device for transferring a solution from one stoppered bottle to another comprising a central member adapted to hold a. pair of hollow needles in spaced par- 15 allel relationship, one of said needles extending on both sides of the central member and having both ends thereof sharpened for the penetration of stoppers and the second needle extending only from one side of said central member, said extending end being sharpened and a guide member attached to the central member, extending in the same direction as the twolsharpened needles.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the guide comprises a plurality of spaced fingers.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the guide comprises an annular skirt.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein asterilizable case surrounds the device for preserving sterility.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,526,595 Gillman Feb. 17, 1925 2,568,108 Barton Sept. 18, 1951 2,584,397 Pitman Feb. 5, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 458,274 .Germany Apr. 2, 1928 971,839 France Aug. 16, 1950 

